


The Love Letter Contest

by orphan_account



Category: due South
Genre: Community: ds_closet, Ficlet, M/M, Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-13
Updated: 2009-02-13
Packaged: 2017-10-03 17:34:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fraser and Vecchio compare their approaches to writing love letters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Love Letter Contest

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the DS-Closet Valentine's Day calendar 2009.

Neither Ray nor Fraser quite remembered how they'd got into the subject of love letters and how they should be written. Fraser argued for honesty, conciseness and respect, and Ray defended the notion of lending from his sister's romance novels.

'But that's cheating,' Fraser objected, looking so forlorn Ray felt compelled to either laugh or relent. Instead, he suggested they each write a sample love letter, and judge by the results.

The following morning, they each handed the other the results of their previous night's work. Ray's was slightly crumpled from when he'd had to wrench it from Francesca's curious hand, and Fraser's had a touch of wolf drool on it that Ray, as usual, failed to diplomatically ignore, and instead touched on several times during their working hours, which involved some international art thieves and an ancient war carriage chase through the museum.

At the end of the day, still somewhat sore and moist from being hit by the modern art display, they retreated into Shaky Lou's to read and compare their letters. Shaky Lou's was a small low-key gay bar that catered mainly the women. Ray said that going there was like getting the best of both worlds.

Ray opened Fraser's first, and leafed through the ten closely written pages. 'You call this concise?!'

"Dear Ray,"

it read,

"We have been together some time now and I feel I should attempt to communicate in some detail the strength and nature of the attachment I feel for you. You are my best friend, and the bond of friendship, when solid, is one of the strongest sentiments two people can feel for each other. To compare it with romantic attachment is to face the problem of assessing each romantic relationship on the basis of, as well as in contrast to, the friendship that lies beneath it..."

It went on like that. The sky outside dimmed from evening to night as Ray read, sometimes rubbing his head as if it was aching, downing a drink after a drink - shots, until Fraser quietly started switching them for sodas. He finally turned over the last page and read the post-script.

'Wow.'

Fraser looked modest. 'I think that should suffice.'

'I have to say, I'm now even more firmly set on the sentiments I expressed in mine. Go on, open it.'

Fraser picked up Ray's envelope, which was considerably lighter, and neatly slid it open. On a single sheet, it read:

"Roses are red  
"Violets are blue  
"You're a frigging lunatic mountie from Tuktayuktuk  
"But I love you.

"Crazy mountie."

Fraser frowned, but his lips curved in a small smile, that spread upwards until it cleared his brow.

'Is it a hit or is it a hit?' Ray asked, grinning.

'Well,' said Fraser, searching for words. 'It's certainly concise.'

'That's what I thought.'

Ray reached over the table, and Fraser took his hand, caressed the angular wrist. They didn't, it turns out, need words all that much after all.


End file.
